Bacon, considered to be the most important food ever by every food expert and prestigious culinary institute, naturally has a place in film history. It has appeared in cinematic landmarks and co-starred with some of the biggest names in Hollywood.

This brief history of bacon in cinema will leave you impressed with bacon’s versatility, longevity and artistic integrity. It will also make you hungry.

1941

Bacon appears in what is frequently cited as the greatest movie of all time, Citizen Kane. Granted, you may call this a cameo, but the bacon stole the show.

1980

Jack Nicholson heartily consumes bacon in master filmmaker Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining.

1984

Kevin Bacon thrills filmgoing audiences in Footloose. His last name is Bacon, in case you didn’t notice.

1985

In Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure, Pee-Wee Herman talks to his breakfast by doing bacon pantomime. “Can I have some Mr. T cereal?”

1991

In Dutch, Ed O’Neill tells audiences that “nothing burps better than bacon.”

Later that same month, a winning Charlie Sheen fries bacon on Valeria Golino in Hot Shots!

1994

Due to sheer awesomeness, Kevin Bacon is the inspiration for the addictive parlor game “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon” created by three Pennsylvania college students.

Obvious bacon aficionado Jack Nicholson demands bacon from Michelle Pfeiffer in Wolf.

Animated classic The Lion King has an Achin’ for Some Bacon:

A banner year for bacon closes with John Travolta (aka Vincent Vega) extolling the virtues of bacon in Pulp Fiction. “Bacon tastes gooood.”

1995

Michael Moore directs John Candy in a “comedy” titled Canadian Bacon, which has nothing to do with bacon.

Burgess Meredith is so tough he can eat all the bacon he wants, any time he wants in this scene from Grumpier Old Men:

1997

Avant-garde filmmaker Harmony Korine affixes bacon to a bathroom wall.

2001

Meriadoc Brandybuck cooks up some nice crispy bacon in Peter Jackson’s epic Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings.

2002

Mel Gibson dreams of extra bacon in the alien thriller Signs.

2009

The Other Mother serves bacon to Coraline in the Oscar-nominated animated movie Coraline.

A Brief History of Bacon in Cinema